Affordable Housing for Low- and Moderate-Income Families


                    I.   TOPIC          North Country HOME Consortium
                    
II.    LOCATION  North Country New York

                    III. SUBJECT        Affordable Housing for Low- and
                    Moderate-Income Families
                    
IV.    SUMMARY

     Lewis County Opportunities, Inc., a Community Action Agency located in Lewis
     County, New York, led the way in creating an alliance with local governments, housing
     agencies, and county planners in Lewis County and two neighboring counties, Jefferson
     and St. Lawrence, to form the North Country HOME Consortium. Forming the
     Consortium made it possible for the tri-county area to be considered together for purposes
     of receiving grants under the National Affordable Housing Act's HOME Program. The
     U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which administers the HOME
     Program, approved the Consortium's Comprehensive Housing Affordability Strategy and
     awarded the Consortium $1.374 million. The Consortium and a nine-member panel
     comprised of local government representatives make loans and grants from the funds for
     first-time homebuyers, owner-occupied rehabilitations, and rental housing.
     
V.     SUCCESSFUL PRACTICE

     Created a tri-county consortium involving local governments, housing agencies, and
     county planners to qualify for low- and moderate-income housing funds under the
     National Affordable Housing Act's HOME Program.
     
VI.    CONTACT

     Karl Reutling, Executive Director
     Stephanie Graf, Deputy Director
     Lewis County Opportunities, Inc.
     (A Community Action Agency)
     P.O. Box 111
     New Bremen, New York 13367
     315-376-8202
     315-376-8421 (FAX)
     
     VII.   CASE STUDY

     The Problem: Lewis County's low- and moderate-income housing stock was in
     decline. In addition to a lack of homeownership opportunities, the county's rental
     properties were in particular need of rehabilitation. The National Affordable Housing
     Act's HOME Program authorized the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban
     Development (HUD) to award grants to low- and moderate-income housing projects.
     However, Lewis County's population is too low to qualify on its own for funds under the
     HOME Program.
     
     The Approach Adopted: Lewis County Opportunities, Inc. (LCOI), a Community
     Action Agency serving Lewis County, proposed that Lewis County work with two
     adjacent counties, Jefferson and St. Lawrence, because, together, the three counties meet
     the population threshold to qualify for HOME funds.
     
     How They Implemented The Approach: In December 1991, LCOI convened a
     series of meetings with the housing agencies and county planners in the three counties.
     The three counties decided to form the North Country HOME Consortium to link the
     counties together and meet the HOME Program's population threshold and qualify for
     entitlement status and funding. The Consortium got most of the municipalities in the
     three counties to sign on to the grant proposal the Consortium submitted to HUD.
     
     The Consortium selected the Jefferson County Planning Office to be the lead agency, and
     official recipient of funds, in the Consortium. The Consortium chose the Development
     Authority of the North Country (DANC) to administer the program. DANC is a public
     benefit corporation created by the state of New York to supply the regional infrastructure
     required by the expansion of Fort Drum and to leverage that expansion for the economic
     well being of the residents of Lewis, Jefferson, and St. Lawrence Counties.
     
     The Consortium developed a Comprehensive Housing Affordability Strategy (CHAS),
     which it submitted to HUD. After HUD approved the CHAS, the Consortium applied for
     HOME funds. HUD approved the application and awarded $1.374 million to the
     Consortium.
     
     Local governments in the three counties formed a nine-member panel to allocate grants
     and loans in the tri-county region. Funds are available for first-time homebuyers, owner-occupied rehabilitations, and rental housing.
     
     Results: The panel has distributed the first round of funds, which included four awards
     to housing agencies that will fund owner-occupied rehabilitation projects to improve 98
     residential units and three awards for rental rehabilitation projects that will benefit 11
     rental units. The total of first round awards was $1.253 million.
     
     A second round of awards, expected to total $1.483 million, will be made on June 30,
     1995.
     
VIII.  KEY WORDS

     Affordable Housing
     Community Action Agency
     Consortiums
     First-Time Homebuyers
     HOME Program
     Housing
     Housing Rehabilitation
     Housing and Urban Development
     Low-Income
     Moderate-Income
     Rental Housing